Cancer cells suppress large regions of DNA by a reversible process that can be tackled with new therapies

Cancer researchers at Sydney’s Garvan Institute, in collaboration with Spanish scientists, have formulated a new concept for how cancer cells can escape normal growth controls, which may have far-reaching implications for the new generation of cancer therapies.

13 June 2007

Cancer researchers at Sydney’s Garvan Institute, in collaboration
with Spanish scientists, have formulated a new concept for how cancer
cells can escape normal growth controls, which may have far-reaching
implications for the new generation of cancer therapies.

They have found large regions of DNA are ‘switched off’ in colon
cancer. Lead researcher Associate Professor Sue Clark, of the Garvan
Institute, says: “These large regions – referred to as suburbs –
contain genes that normally function to prevent the development of
tumours”.